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Daily Business Report — Oct. 13, 2009

Paseo Carlsbad to get two national restaurant chains

Paseo Carlsbad, a 75,000-square-foot retail and restaurant project, is nearing completion in Carlsbad. It will house national restaurants BJ’s Restaurant Brewhouseand P.F. Chang’s China Bistro. The restaurant openings are scheduled for late October following the completion of construction and tenant improvements. BJ’s Restaurant will anchor the northern end of the project with 10,470 square feet and will offer its Chicago-style pizzeria with a full bar and hand-crafted brewery. P.F. Chang’s China Bistro will anchor the southern end of the project with 8,100 square feet of space and serve its traditional Chinese menu, also offering a full bar. Both restaurants will have outside patio seating. Construction on the remaining 45,000 square feet of retail shop space at Paseo Carlsbad is expected to start in January 2010, and the entire project is to be completed later that year. David Strauss of Cushman & Wakefield Urban Property Group, said the team is in negotiations with several other retailers for the remaining retail space.

A development of PacTen Partners for CPT/SC Title Holding Corp., the center is located on a seven-acre site on the southwest corner of Paseo Del Norte and Car County Drive. The project, designed by Gene Fong Associates, will feature an open-air mission-style design with fountains and landscaped promenades. The general contractor for the site and 46,000-square-foot retail portion is Kunzik & Sara.

Mesa College to open Allied Health Building

Mesa College on Wednesday will open its new Allied Health Building, a state-of-the-art, three-story, 50,000-square-foot facility that provides training, laboratory and classroom space for degree and certificate programs for five health care fields — Dental Assisting; Health Information Technology, Medical Assisting, Physical Therapy Assistant and Radiologic Technology. The facility will train students as well as incumbent work force professionals. The $28.9 million facility is funded by the district’s $1.55 Propositions S and N construction bonds. A 10 a.m. ceremony has been scheduled at 7250 Mesa College Drive.

The architectural firm for Allied Health was Architects Delawie Wilkes Rodrigues Barker, a San Diego-based firm which also designed the adjacent parking structure and police substation, and is completing the design for Mesa’s future Student Services Building. The builder was McCarthy Construction, which also worked on the east campus entrance and which will return to Mesa to manage construction of the Student Services Building. The project began construction in May 2008.

Work completed on Thurgood Marshall Activity Center

PCL Construction has completed work on the $1.6 million Thurgood Marshall Activity Center Ridgewalk Café & Market located on the UCSD campus. The 20-week project was the renovation of an existing two-story wood frame structure with plaster exterior. The work included converting the upper floor into a food service facility and the lower floor into a convenience market. The cafe includes a full service kitchen, sales area and coffee bar. The project was constructed to meet LEED Silver requirements and will be submitted for certification. The project manager was Glenn Evans and the superintendent was Jimmy Ramirez. The Architect was Alfredo Araiza Associates. Major subcontractors included HMT Electric, Western Mechanical, DG Plumbing, Arrow Automatic, JJJ Enterprises, Pacific Southwest Structures, JC Framing, Mark Beamish Waterproofing, Michael Blackman & Associates, Nevell Group, Allied Coatings, Fast Demo, Whitson CM, F.J. Brawley and Teserra Landscaping.

Encinitas Fire Station 3 wins design award

Encinitas Fire Station No. 3, a two-story concrete masonry structure with curving rooflines designed by Domusstudio Architecture, has been selected among the “best” in the state by California Construction magazine. The statewide “Best of 2009” competition recognizes construction and design excellence, as judged by an independent jury of industry experts. More than 125 projects were nominated in a variety of categories for this year’s competition. “It is an honor to be recognized and a testament to our partnership with the city of Encinitas Fire Department,” said Wayne Holtan, a principal at Domusstudio Architecture. The San Diego firm is currently designing two more fire stations with the city. Encinitas Fire Station No. 5, also designed by Domusstudio Architecture, then known as Dominy + Associates Architects, was named Best North Coast Fire Station in the San Diego Architectural Guide.

As a merit award winner, the project will be featured in the December issue of McGraw-Hill’s California Construction publication. Representatives of Domusstudio Architecture will attend an awards presentation Dec. 9 in Long Beach.

Sudberry Development receives Governor’s Award

Sudberry Development has been awarded a 2009 Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership Award in the category of Comprehensive Land Use Planning for its Quarry Falls community. Quarry Falls will transform 230 acres of a declining gravel quarry in the heart of San Diego into a sustainable mixed-use community with nearly 5,000 homes and almost one million square feet of retail, office and civic space. Gov. Schwarzenegger presented the award personally to Tom Sudberry, company founder, and Marco Sessa, senior vice president of land development/residential at a ceremony last week in Los Angeles. The award is the state’s highest environmental honor. Quarry Falls was one of 15 other award recipients from around the state recognized at a reception at the Governors’ Global Climate Summit 2 held in Los Angeles. The Quarry Falls development will provide an estimated $1.5 billion in private investment to the Mission Valley area of San Diego by creating a sustainable community whose smart-growth principles and eco-friendly design attributes will become a model for the future growth of the region, according to Sudberry.

Westcore Properties adds senior vice president of leasing

Hack Adams has joined Westcore Properties as senior vice president of leasing. He will oversee and direct broker and tenant leasing activity for the properties owned by Westcore. Adams has more than 14 years of real estate leasing and development management experience. Most recently he was partner and director of marketing with Murphy Development Co. in San Diego. Prior to that, he was a leasing manager for Westfield America.

Interim executive director hired at San Diego Museum of Man

Ned A. Smith has been hired by the board of directors of the San Diego Museum of Man as the interim executive director. His goals for the museum include enhancing the visitor experience, addressing organizational structure analyzing the use of museum facilities from an economic perspective and participating in the recruitment and hiring of a new long-term executive director. A resident of San Diego, Smith has 25 years’ experience as a top manager. He recently completed a year as the interim executive director of the Alaska SeaLife Center, a research institution in Seward, Alaska. He has also held the interim director position in science and technology at The San Diego Foundation, and from 1995-2000 was the executive director of Birch Aquarium at Scripps.

Gafcon Inc. partners with San Diego Women’s Foundation

Gafcon Inc., a women-owned construction management and consulting firm, is partnering for the first time with the San Diego Women’s Foundation in an effort to foster the development of young philanthropists in the region. “Education and philanthropy are some of Gafcon’s core values, so this was a natural fit,” said Ashley McElravy, a 25-year-old business development professional who has worked for Gafcon since 2007. “Professionally, my membership greatly enhances my business development role by providing me with access to a high-level network of professional women. Personally, I feel fortunate to be able to give back in such powerful and meaningful way, particularly at this stage in my career,” say McElravy. She approached Gafcon’s president and COO, Pam Gaffen, and made a case for supporting her participation with the San Diego Women’s Foundation. Gaffen agreed to provide the financial support for McElravy’s membership, making her one of only a handful of current SDWF members in their 20s. Yet, despite her age, McElravy has taken a leadership role in the organization, participating in its marketing and membership committees, as well as its strategic planning task force to provide a younger professional’s perspective.

Cricket employees to perform repairs at The Arc of San Diego

On Saturday, more than 200 local employees of Cricket andmembers of Rebuilding Together will make repairs and perform other work at The Arc of San Diego, which serves 2,500 disabled San Diegans each year. The Arc will get a new water-wise garde, new appliances for its training kitchen, fres paint and several interior renovations. AssemblywomanLori Saldaña and City CouncilwomanDonna Frye will also be on hand to participate in the rebuilding activities. Entertainment will be provided by the Monarch School Steel Drum Band. Of all the volunteer events across the country, this one will be special in that CEOs from both organizations will be present: Doug Hutcheson, president and CEO of Cricket and Gary A. Officer, president and CEO of Rebuilding Together. Details in the media advisory and release below.

Task force formed to study future of Balboa Park

Mayor Jerry Sanders and Councilman Todd Gloria have asked Vicki Granowitz, chair of the Balboa Park Committee, to lead a task force to “engage the public” in the formation of a new, nonprofit public benefit entity that would work with the city on management and fundraising to improve Balboa Park. “This conclusion is not the end of the process; in fact, it’s only the beginning,” said Sanders. “Over the next six months, this well-rounded group of Balboa Park stakeholders will hold public meetings on various aspects of this governance plan, including: what its relationship will be to the city and park support organizations; whether the proposed governance structure will require amendments or additions to the municipal code, council policies or the city charter and how the new governance body will be structured.

“The task force will explore what role this public organization would play, but I think is extremely important to point out is that this is not a private conservancy that will operate the park. Park operations will continue to remain in the city’s hands. The importance of ensuring the park’s continued health and vitality cannot be overstated. The park attracts 10 million visitors each year; it’s a destination for tourists and an invaluable cultural and recreational resource for our citizens.”

Balboa Park Task Force Members:

Vicki Granowitz (Chair) – Chair of Balboa Park Committee; Member of Park and Recreation Board; Former Chair of North Park Community Planning Committee; Chair of North Park Recreation Council; Public Land Use Advocate

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